Ireland - Services

Masterplanning & Urban Design

Consistently successful in securing high volume and complex planning consents

RPS promotes a wide variety of sites, from mixed-use regeneration projects within town and city centres to significant urban extensions and new settlements both in the UK and abroad. With a broad range of skills and expertise together with long-standing client relationships, RPS can bring considerable experience to projects to deliver cost-effective and creative solutions that meet aspirations as well as being practical and viable.

There is increased awareness amongst stakeholders of the importance of good design, often with a need to address complex technical issues in a comprehensive approach. Positive ‘place-making’ and sustainable development is integral to our design process and the promotion of land for development.

We offer other important services, including the coordination of specialist input into the design process to ensure the proposals are practical and ensure that they can be robustly assessed for environmental assessment purposes. We also produce a variety of information for analysis and costing purposes, together with imagery for key stakeholder consultation events and for other promotional purposes, tailored to meet the client’s needs.

Movement around and to the new city is facilitated by a central bus interchange with bus stops located around the industrial park.

Almarkaz also includes a range of worker and low cost housing accommodation for its 28,000 residents. Included in the residential zone is a 14,000 m² retail mall, a 7,500 m² leisure centre with indoor courts, swimming pool, social centre, library and learning facilities.

Almarkaz is designed to be fully managed with c.13,000 m² of management, medical and security facilities.

RPS submitted and obtained concept and retail planning approvals from the Urban Planning Council and commenced building permit applications.

Anchorwood Bank

Anchorwood Bank

Barnstaple

Wessex Investors Ltd, Asda

RPS provided masterplanning and detailed design services to promote a large brownfield regeneration ‘gateway’ site for mixed-use redevelopment.

The site fronts the River Taw and overlooks the historic waterfront of Barnstaple Town Centre. The site’s location makes it a key ‘gateway’ into Barnstaple from the south and west. It is currently industrial use with large areas that are derelict and under used. There is also a prominent derelict former industrial building that fronts an historic ‘wharf’, representing a link to the site’s historic past as a thriving industrial riverside site. The hybrid application is for a comprehensive mixed-use redevelopment. Phase 1 is a full application for an Asda store, riverside promenade, and a large estuarine area for nature conservation and public open space. Phase 2 is in outline for housing and additional leisure, retail, and commercial uses, complemented by some exciting public realm areas, including two key spaces - a central square and riverside square.

RPS acted as lead consultant and provided a range of consultancy services as part of a large multi-disciplinary team. The proposals for the redevelopment of the site required very careful analysis of the context and physical features and characteristics. There was also extensive public consultation, which included a public exhibition, leaflet and letter drops, presentation to key stakeholder groups, a design review panel, and a website.

Guinness Redevelopment

Redevelopment of the Guinness Brewery

Diageo Ireland

RPS Planners successfully managed and guided the masterplanning and redevelopment of the Guinness Brewery Complex at St. James Gate through the planning system.

RPS has worked successfully with Diageo (the owners of the world famous Guinness brewery) in Ireland for many years. The Guinness Brewery has operated in Dublin city for over 250 years. The existing working brewery is the largest industrial complex in Dublin city and the home of one of Dublin's best known and most successful tourist attractions - the Guinness Storehouse.

RPS was appointed by Diageo in 2010 as planning consultants to provide a full range of professional planning services including strategic planning advice, on-going advice to the project team, engagement with Dublin City Council, preparation of a Masterplan (with RKD Architects), negotiating a variation to the Dublin City Development Plan and preparation of a planning application for the new Guinness brewery on lands to the north of James's Street.

Hampden Fields

Hampden Fields

Aylesbury

Taylor-Wimpey, Aylesbury College, The Fairfield Partnership

RPS, as part of a large multi-disciplinary team, have developed a masterplan for this mixed-use scheme that comprises up to 3,000 dwellings, schools, a mixed use local centre, employment park, and large areas of open space.

The 218ha site has been promoted through the planning system and represents a major urban extension to the town. The outline application is for a comprehensive mixed use development which will deliver housing and infrastructure, supported by other proposed leisure, education and employment uses. RPS created a vision for the site, captured in conceptual imagery and a clear design statement.

Two neighbourhoods have been designed as a ‘21st Century Garden Suburb’ incorporating a mixed use local centre. A ‘main street’ running through the scheme is also designed to serve as a new strategic link road. The masterplan also incorporates a multifunctional green infrastructure network with extensive areas of various open space uses.

Kilmashogue Masterplan

Kilmashogue Masterplan

Ireland

RPS was appointed to prepare a Masterplan for 26 hectares of undeveloped residentially zoned lands at Kilmashogue, Dublin 16.

These lands are strategically located within the urban envelope of Dublin City defined by the M50 motorway and comprise a valuable land bank which is capable of accommodating future residential development within South County Dublin.

The Masterplan identifies the manner in which sustainable density levels can be accommodated on the lands in accordance with national and regional planning policy for greenfield sites within urban areas.

The rationale for the Masterplan layout which was identified was to provide a distinctive layout with variation in the character of the open spaces, streets and built form in order to create a network of individual yet coherent spaces which would contribute to the creation of a unique urban layout.

RPS was responsible for drafting and co-ordinating the Masterplan with particular responsibilities in relation to planning, urban design and graphic design. This involved liaison with adjacent landowners and managing inputs from Ecology, Surveys, Traffic and Noise experts.

Mater Hospital

Mater Hospital

Mater Campus Hospital Development Ltd.

RPS planners have advised on the development of a €284m adult public hospital in Dublin’s inner city.

The new nine storey, 55,000 square metres hospital building is located on a brownfield site which features protected structures. It will be the national centre for cardiac surgery, heart and lung transplants, spinal injuries and life support services and will contain state-of-the art facilities including 12 new operating theatres, 120 one-bed en suite rooms, new emergency and out patients departments and a 444-space underground car park. It will be the greenest and most technologically driven hospital in Ireland upon completion and it has realised a significant healthcare component of the National Development Plan.

RPS was responsible for coordinating and producing a number of sequential planning applications, including a successful first party appeal relating to development contribution conditions. RPS also gave evidence on behalf of the hospital at the Oral Hearing for the Metro-North Railway Order Project, which was intended to have an underground station at Mater Hospital. RPS provides ongoing planning advice to the hospital and is overseeing a final wrap-up planning application relating to internal and external amendments to the hospital building which has required Strategic infrastructure Development preapplication consultations with An Bord Pleanála in order to determine that planning application can be made directly to Dublin City Council.

Plymstock

Plymstock

Plymouth

Persimmon South West

RPS coordinated the Masterplan and prepared the Design and Access Statement and Design Code for one of the largest brownfield redevelopment sites in the South West at approximately 72.8ha.

The site is dominated by a large disused quarry and has high cliffs on three sides. The location, in close proximity to Plymouth City Centre, offers the opportunity to create a comprehensive development providing homes, jobs, education and community facilities, and new provisions for sustainable transport, together with large areas of formal and informal open space.

The Outline Application was approved unanimously by Committee. The scheme includes a mixed-use local centre with retail stores, a doctor’s surgery, an extended primary school which includes a children’s centre, and other mixed-uses fronting a large, central public square. There are two boulevards forming a central spine to the scheme, one of which incorporates a circus and the other a linear ‘water park’.

There is a variety of open spaces provided including large areas of woodlands and retained hedgerows and historic landscape features, and equipped children’s play areas. The Masterplan responds to the complex topography of the site and surrounding land uses. The nature of the site required considerable consultation together with input from a variety of specialist consultants as part of the project team.

RPS also provided a proofing layout for the entire site and is now progressing more detailed design work on the site.